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The facts about Section Leader and Section Supporters Training

All adults in Scouting have a requirement and an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge through the Scout Association's national Adult Training Scheme.

Our Adult Training Scheme is designed to support you, so the training provided is relevant and tailored to what you do in scouting.

The scheme also recognises there may be learning and skills that you have gained through work and life experiences, and the scheme is designed to complement these with further opportunities to enhance your skills.

The training and development opportunities available range from skills-based training such as first aid, risk assessment, safeguarding and public relations through to experience in leadership, management, communication, organisation, safeguarding, executive training and experience of working with young people.

External recognition

There are a number of ways that the training you complete in Scouting can be recognised by external organisations, and benefit you in other areas of your life. These include:

How it works

The training scheme is made up of a series of modules that cover each of the different development areas. It is a UK-wide scheme for scouting, so the training you complete in one place will be recognised in another.

Prior learning, knowledge and experience are also recognised as forms of learning and are valued within the Adult Training Scheme. This means that learning may not need to be completed for every aspect of training. This is especially so if you can clearly show that you are able to meet the module objectives by demonstrating your skills in your scouting role through the validation process.

The scheme is made-up of 38 modules and different roles have the need to a complete different combination of modules. The modules that section leaders need to complete are:

Validation

Validation is the process of finding out if you are able to put the learning covered by a module into practice in your role in scouting. All modules and training for your role require validating regardless of whether you have gained the skills from previous experience or by planned learning.

Each module has a fixed requirement. There are a number of validation methods for you to select from. Validation methods are simple and effective and should always be something that you do as part of your normal role. The focus should be on you ‘doing something’ and this will often be backed up by discussion. Validation should not be seen as an exam – it is a positive experience in which you will receive supportive feedback.

You can find out more about Section Leader training and validation in our training guide which you can download here.

Ongoing learning, or ongoing training, is essentially any training, learning or development your complete that your subsequently use in your scouting role. It can take place both inside and outside scouting, but must ultimately benefit the young people, and the other adults your work with in scouting.

Requirements

Following the completion of your Wood Badge, you are requred to undertake some ongoing learning in order to maintain your appointment as current. Over the calculated period of the appointment, you must complete an average of five hours ongoing learning each year.

Ongoing learning can come from a variety of sources and could be in the form of:

training within The Scout Association but outside of the Adult Training Scheme, for example, an Activity Assessor course or an ongoing learning module

training completed outside of scouting, for example evening classes that provide you with new talents that can be of use to you in your scouting role, an IT class for example

an external qualification in a practical skill such as archery, for example.

On occasion, usually due to major policy or legal changes, Headquarters may specify particular compulsory ongoing learning topics for a fixed period. On such occasions Headquarters will make training material and support documentation available.

The following ongoing learning modules are available from The Scout Association:

Mandatory Ongoing Learning

(to be completed 3 year after the original topic was completed as part of your Wood Badge training)

Although the on-going learning hours you are required to complete each year can be any number of things, there are also some specific on-going learning requirements which adults who hold an appointment for which an appointment review is required must complete.

There is currently two specific pieces of mandatory on-going learning:

First Aid and First Response Training

As a Leader, you must hold a current first aid qualification at the time of gaining your Wood Badge and at the time of your appointment renewal. However, they are encouraged to keep their qualification up to date at all times.

The minimum standard for this qualification is First Response, but higher levels of qualification are needed if delivering first aid training or leading certain kinds of adventurous activities. This provision will ensure a minimum standard of first aid knowledge and training across the Movement.